St. Clair Shores landscaper accused in tea set theft

A St. Clair Shores landscaping employee has been charged with stealing a $10,000 sterling silver tea set from a house on Lake Shore Road south of Moross in Grosse Pointe Shores, according to police.

Robert Lee Cooper II, 32, is being held in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of a $25,000 bond set by Grosse Pointe Shores/Farms Municipal Court Judge Matthew Rumora at an Oct. 5 arraignment. Cooper is charged with four felonies: second-degree home invasion, possession of burglary tools, receiving and concealing stolen property, and larceny in a building.

Cooper, who investigators say has admitted to being a heroin user, is accused of breaking into the home after he saw the tea set through a window while working for an eastside landscaping company while the homeowners were away. Along with a second person, he then sold the set to a precious metals broker, according to police. The second person will not be charged, police said.

Detective Sgt. Scott Rohr said police have recovered sales slips containing Cooper’s name and fingerprints and a screwdriver that police was used to pry open a sliding glass door was found in his car. He said the tea set was a family heirloom and he was glad police were able to retrieve it.